Tapered metal cup and method of forming the same
A metal cup and method of forming the same is provided. Metal cups of the present disclosure comprise a plurality of thin, straight-walled sections and a tapered profile. A domed portion is provided in the bottom of the cup. The cup may comprise a disposable cup, a reusable cup, or a recyclable cup.
1. A method of forming a thin-walled tapered metallic cup, the method comprising:
providing a stock material;
cutting a blank from the stock material;
forming the cup from the blank by performing a draw operation;
performing a redrawing operation on the cup to provide the cup with a predetermined height and a wall thickness;
subsequent to the redrawing operation, trimming the cup;
curling the top edge of the cup to form a lip;
performing a plurality of further drawing steps to form a plurality of straight walled sections and wherein each of the straight walled sections comprise successively smaller diameters;
subsequent to the plurality of drawing steps, expanding each of the straight walled sections to a larger diameter with a die comprising a tapered profile; and
wherein the step of expanding each of the straight walled sections comprises increasing the height of the cup to a final height.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the stock material comprises an aluminum coil.
3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising a step of providing a coating on at least an interior of the cup.
4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising performing at least one of a decorating step and a coating step.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of curling the top edge occurs prior to the step of forming the plurality of straight wall sections.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the stock material comprises a pre-coated aluminum coil, thereby reducing a need for additional washing and coating steps in the formation of the cup.